How to Compare Exterior House Painting Bids Line by Line
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To compare exterior house painting bids, put every quote into the same grid: scope, prep, product and film thickness, number of coats, repair allowance, warranty terms, schedule, insurance, and payment terms. A low total only means something once each line describes the same work. The blank lines are where surprise charges come from.
We see this every August in St. Louis and St. Charles, when fall bids start stacking up on kitchen counters. Three contractors walk the same house and hand back three documents that look nothing alike. One is a single page with a number at the bottom. One runs six pages. One arrives as a text message. Here's how to sort them out.
What should every exterior painting bid include?
A usable bid names the surfaces, the prep, the exact products, the coat count, how repairs get priced, the warranty, the schedule, proof of insurance and the payment schedule. If a line is missing, ask for it in writing before you compare prices.
Print this grid, or copy it into a spreadsheet, and fill in one column per contractor. Don't fill a cell from memory of what the estimator said in the driveway. If it isn't on paper, the cell stays empty.
| Line item | What to look for | Bid A | Bid B | Bid C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Every elevation, trim, fascia, soffits, doors, shutters, porch ceilings listed by name | |||
| Prep | Wash method, scraping, sanding, caulking, priming, plant and window protection | |||
| Product + film thickness | Brand, product line, sheen; target mils or total gallons | |||
| Coats | Primer plus a stated number of finish coats, per surface | |||
| Repairs allowance | Included amount, or unit prices for rot and board replacement | |||
| Warranty terms | Length, what's covered, labor vs. material, transferable or not | |||
| Schedule | Start window, expected duration, weather-delay policy | |||
| Insurance | Certificate showing general liability and workers' comp | |||
| Payment terms | Deposit, progress payments, final payment after walk-through | |||
| Total | Only compare once the rows above match |
How do you compare scope and prep between bids?
Check that every bid covers the same surfaces and spells out the same prep steps. "Paint exterior" isn't a scope. A bid that skips the soffits or the detached garage will always look cheaper.
Prep is where bids split the most. Look for the wash method (pressure wash or a gentler soft wash with a mildew cleaner), how loose paint gets removed, which joints get caulked, and whether bare wood gets primed or only spot-primed. On a house built before 1978, the bid should also say the crew is EPA lead-safe certified. A lot of the brick-and-frame housing around Kirkwood and South City is that old.
How do you compare paint products and film thickness?
Ask for the brand, product line and sheen by name, plus the coat count and either the target dry film thickness in mils or the total gallons. "Premium exterior paint" tells you nothing.
Film thickness is the line most homeowners never see, and it predicts life span better than the brand name does. Conventional exterior paint usually goes on at about 1 to 2 mils. Rhino Shield's ceramic elastomeric coating goes on at 8 to 10 mils. Gallons are a decent sanity check if nobody will quote mils. Our comparison puts a typical paint job at roughly 10 gallons per 2,500 square feet of exterior and a Rhino Shield system at about 40. When two bids on the same house differ that much in material, they aren't bidding the same job.
Coats deserve their own line. Primer isn't a finish coat. Our system runs as a sequence: clean, repair, caulk and seal, prime, then multiple coats of ceramic topcoat. Whatever you hire, the bid should list each step.
How should a bid handle wood rot and other repairs?
A good bid either includes a set repair allowance or lists unit prices, like a price per linear foot of trim or per siding board replaced. "Repairs as needed" with no number is a blank check.
Rot hides behind paint. Nobody finds all of it on a walk-around, so the honest move is to price it before the ladders go up. Ask each contractor how they'll show you what they find. Photos before the board comes off and after is a fair request.
What should you look for in the warranty terms?
Read the length, what's covered, whether it includes labor or only material, whether it transfers to a buyer, and what voids it. Conventional paint jobs often carry a one-year warranty.
A warranty only matters if the company answers the phone later. One homeowner put it this way after his project:
"Darrin was a pleasure to work with. He responded extremely quick and his team addressed our questions/concerns. Lastly you can't beat their warranty."
— Brandon H.
Quick answers before the contract usually mean quick answers after it. If you want to see exactly what ours covers, the details of the 25-year transferable warranty are written out in plain language.
What about schedule, insurance and payment terms?
Get a start window, a rough duration and a weather-delay policy in writing. Ask for a certificate of insurance and confirm it with the agent. Tie payments to progress, with the final payment after a walk-through.
- Schedule: Fall fills fast. Ask how the contractor handles rain days and cool nights, since every coating has temperature limits on its label.
- Insurance: General liability covers your property. Workers' comp covers the crew. Without it, an injury on your ladder can land on your homeowner's policy.
- Payment: A modest deposit to hold a spot is common. Paying most of the job before work starts isn't something we'd recommend to anyone.
Trade groups like the Painting Contractors Association publish professional standards for the industry. Membership isn't required, but it's a fair thing to ask about.
How do you compare the totals once the lines match?
Divide each total by the years you can reasonably expect from it. That's the number that tells you what the exterior actually costs to own.
A traditional repaint commonly runs $5,000 to $7,000 per 2,500 square feet and lasts about 5 to 7 years. Rhino Shield costs roughly 2 to 2.5 times that up front and is built to last 25 years or more. Our page on what Rhino Shield costs compared with paint walks through the math. As St. Louis exterior painters who install a coating system, we'd rather be compared on cost per year than on the first number you see. Rhino Shield of Missouri expects to lose some bids on day-one price. We don't expect to lose many on the grid above.
Related reading: Top 10 Questions to Ask Commercial Painting Contractors in Missouri
Frequently Asked Questions
How many exterior painting bids should I get?
Three is the usual number. Two doesn't show you an outlier, and more than four mostly costs you evenings. What you learn from the differences in scope and prep matters more than the spread in price.
Why are some exterior painting bids so much cheaper?
Usually because they cover less work. Common gaps are lighter prep, fewer coats, thinner film, repairs left out, or trim and soffits missing from the scope. Occasionally the contractor is uninsured. Put the bids in the same grid and the reason tends to show up fast.
What is mil thickness on a painting bid?
A mil is one thousandth of an inch, and it measures how thick the dried finish is. Conventional exterior paint is often around 1 to 2 mils, while Rhino Shield goes on at 8 to 10 mils. Thicker film generally means longer life, so it's worth asking every contractor for a number.
Should I pay a deposit to an exterior painter?
A modest deposit to reserve a spot on the schedule is normal. Beyond that, tie payments to progress and hold the final payment until you've walked the job and the punch list is done. Get the payment schedule in the written contract, not a verbal promise.
Want a bid you can actually compare?
We'll walk your house, measure it, and hand you a written scope that fills in every row of that grid. Request a free estimate online or call 314-239-7947.
